RENA ESTALA – MULTIMEDIA EDITOR ORIGINALLY POSTED JAN 31 2024
Discussion posts are a dreaded and eye-rolling experience that can cause a student’s motivation to plummet. The constant flow of assignments posted is repetitive and doesn’t show a student’s full potential in their academic studies. While some students agree with the idea of having discussion posts as a tool for learning, others argue that they are overused or don’t help them in their studies.
Senior finance and risk management major, Ethan Stein, discusses how he dislikes discussion posts, especially with individuals of this generation, but enjoys them if the topic piques his interest. When asked the question, “What would be a better alternative to discussion posts that professors can do?” Stein suggests that it would be beneficial for professors and students to have an in-person discussion to, “incorporate the same things that you talk about in a discussion post in class and check mark who talks in class to create a form of conversations going.” He expressed that this would be more beneficial than waiting for students to write and reply to one discussion in a seminar post.
Especially when professors use a discussion board for a grade, many students comment that it doesn’t help with their long-term memory in academics. In essence, there isn’t an emotional connection between the students and the professor that serves as an incentive to actively engage with each other.
Freshman criminal justice major, Darnell Hernandez, states that discussion posts are optimistic in the sense that you’re able to, “take your time in writing and think about [your] thoughts and [be] able to get feedback on some topics.” However, a downside to discussion posts that Hernandez identified is that after reading other people’s thoughts and interpretations, students may begin to alter their own thoughts to align with someone else’s reflections. He also recognized that discussion posts are a positive learning tool, especially when someone is absent, as they have a chance to catch up in a discussion by reading the posts of their peers.
Hernandez recognized discussion posts as a learning tool, and they serve as a way to reflect on what each student has said in the moment of the discussion post, allowing students to have a better understanding of the topic later in the week. A few students that Hernandez has spoken to both like discussion posts and find them draining. The students often have to think on the spot, and it puts a lot of restrictions on them. Examples of restrictions include word limits, reflecting, explaining, and identifying the subject of discussion posts.
There are some aspects to consider that bring a positive outcome to discussion posts, including how they serve as a tool to help a student catch up on coursework they missed due to being absent or reflecting on ideas they could build upon academically. Regardless, the downside to having discussion posts in academics is that they don’t help students truly engage with the topic, nor do they help students in the long run. But overall, knowing how discussion posts are utilized.